Domaine Tempier Rosé Bandol 2024

Bandol is one of the most serious rosé appellations in the world – its Mediterranean, coastal hills in Provence boasting sunbaked clay and deep limestone soils that create rosés with incredible structure and richness, almost like a red wine dressed in pink. This 2024 comes from a world-renowned producer that helped put Bandol on the map in terms of intensely satisfying rosé wines… and their 93-point expression fully lives up to the reputation preceding it.

Bandol rosé wines aren’t like their lighter-bodied, pale pastel Provencal counterparts. Because of its strict requirements of at least 20% to 50% Mourvèdre in this appellation’s rosés, it has a distinctly rich, deeply flavored, silky weightiness to it that is just simply mesmerizing. This 2024 vintage from Domaine Tempier has 55% Mourvèdre, with 25% Grenache and 20% Cinsault to add some spice and floral qualities, and it is wonderfully magnetic. If you’ve had Tempier’s rosé before, then you know – this isn’t your ordinary pink wine. It’s ageable, it’s complex, it’s profoundly balanced and layered, and it is wildly easy to love.

Domaine Tempier was first a Provençal farm in the 19th century before Léonie Tempier replanted its vineyards after the phylloxera crisis and built the cellar that still stands. In 1940, Lucie “Lulu” Tempier married Lucien Peyraud, whose advocacy for Mourvèdre helped define the identity of Bandol just as the appellation received AOC status in 1941. As president of the Bandol syndicate after World War II, Lucien pushed growers to replant Mourvèdre and shaped many of the region’s production standards, while Domaine Tempier released its first rosé in 1943 and first red Bandol in 1951. 

Their rise has been just as meteoric as their impact – and the 2024 bottling captures their traditions beautifully. It is fragrant with grapefruit peel, white peach, muddled raspberry, wild herbs, and sea spray, yet grounded by a saline, mineral finish influenced by its Mediterranean Sea exposure. The wine is made with brief skin maceration and direct pressing before fermenting in stainless steel and concrete, preserving its freshness. Even young, the 2024 already shows the characteristic savory depth and structure that make Tempier rosé so hypnotizing, with a subtle earthy grip that adds so much character. It almost feels rude to compare this to other rosés, because it’s not even in the same stratosphere. Whatever you do, don’t stop at just one!

FOOD PAIRINGS: Pan-seared scallops with warm radicchio and pancetta will very likely blow your mind with this stunning rosé.